Mugshot of Kiko Joseph. Photo: USVIPD

Kiko Joseph, age 39, was arrested and charged on November 17 with third-degree assault.

According to the probable cause fact sheet, police were dispatched to the parking lot of Emancipation Gardens where they met with another officer who stated that Joseph had assaulted a woman. The woman was on the ground complaining of pain. She was transported to the Schneider Regional Medical Center by EMT and treated by a physician.

Joseph was searched and detained and placed in a police vehicle.

Officers traveled to SRMC where they met with the victim who said she was in Emancipation Gardens with two friends. While there, she told one of her friends that she wanted a bottle of water, and the male friend took a bottled water out of a cooler nearby. She said that while the cooler belonged to one of her friends, the water in the cooler belonged to Joseph. According to the victim, she overheard Joseph saying he was going to the police station, though the probable cause fact does not explain why he said so.

The victim stated that she saw one of her friends counting money that was on top of the cooler but she was unsure who the money belonged to. She then gave her friend a dollar bill to give to Joseph for the bottle of water that was removed from the cooler.

According to documents before the court, Joseph threw the dollar bill on the ground and grabbed the victim’s friend and pushed him. She then ran over to the smoothie booth to get help, however, Joseph chased after her and struck her with a closed fist. According to the probable cause fact sheet, he then slammed her to the ground causing her head to hit the pavement. The victim said that two men who work at the nearby V.I. Legislature intervened, stopping Joseph from continuing to assault the victim.

Joseph was then placed under arrest.

In court on Friday, a judge ruled that Joseph would be allowed to post $350 cash with the remainder of the $25,000 bail to be posted as an unsecured bond.

Joseph is barred from leaving the St. Thomas-St. John district without the court’s written permission and must report to the Office of Probation twice a week. He is barred from having directly or indirect contact with the victim or any witnesses in this matter.